The Independent National Election Commission has today Sunday April 3, 2011, pushed forward the elections to April 9. It was previously scheduled for April 2 and moved the same Saturday to Monday April 4. The presidential election is set for April 16, and voting for governors and legislatures will follow the next week.

The problems which have largely drawn local and international elections condemnation due to the late arrivals of voting materials, errors with printing and overall logistical mess the government of Nigeria and its mandated agency INEC have thrown themselves into, after spending billions of naira/dollars for the April 2011 elections. Chido Nwangwu wt USAfrica reporters in Nigeria Abubakar Ahmed and Agbo Agara

USAfrica reporters across Nigeria say that the Jega-led INEC (since July 2010) which has the biggest funds ever in the history of Nigeria’s elections management is facing the anger of what seems a majority of Nigerians and voters over this remarkable failure. But his boss

President Jonathan is supporting the decision arguing that the new date of April 4 is better for INEC to “prepare for better results” and elections.

But Isa Mohammed who said he’s a member of the President’s ruling PDP party at Wuse in Abuja disagrees, countering: “They should all be ashamed and be apologizing to all Nigerians regardless of party. What type of country is this? Haba! All the money they gave to Jega and INEC and they cannot hold elections?” queried .

Adeleke Omotunde, an economics student in Lagos told USAfricaonline.com that he “expects more from the leaders of Nigeria especially the President. Until today, I was a supporter of President Jonathan but this has messed up things. He is either leading or not.”

A more prominent Lagosian, leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu told reporters that Jega “has done what is right in the circumstance. I only hope the President will take control from there by declaring a national holiday on Monday.”

Uchenna Emenike, an APGA party loyalist in the commercial but traumatized city of Aba (in Abia State) was no less concerned, saying to USAfrica that “Prof. Jega of INEC and the man who appointed him President Jonathan promised Nigerians a proper election today which they have been planning and spending tons of money, only to cancel it! No, I’m terribly disappointed.”

An international elections monitor who will be texting (his observations to USAfricaonline.com) was equally blunt in telling us that “It’s a big shame to Nigeria and its leadership. I see very deeply disappointed Nigerians at the various polling stations we have been to today.”

Nigerians and the international community have had series of hopes for better elections in the west African country of almost 155 million people.

Similar hopes were expected in the national elections of 1999 and in 2007 — where former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired army General and the PDP massively rigged the elections, as reflected in law suits and testimonies of the elections observers.

In 2007, Obasanjo handpicked the late President Yar’Adua (who died in office on May 5, 2010, at the Aso Rock presidential villa after very long and mysterious illness) and current President (Jonathan) as Yar’Adua’s vice president. (see reports and commentaries here on USAfricaonline.com).

The April 2011 elections seem altogether critical to the stability and direction of the country amidst heavy security, religious and ethnic clashes and more fears of rigging of the results.

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